World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
BBC’s new Arabic chief called Israeli city ‘occupied’ and rocket victims ‘settlers’
Mayssaloun Nassar, who took charge of BBC News Arabic in October, previously described Israeli cities as “occupied” and Israelis injured by rocket fire as “settlers” in social media posts while working at France 24. Her appointment has renewed scrutiny of the service’s impartiality, following past criticism of its reporting on Israel and Gaza.
In posts from 2012, Nassar referred to Beersheba as occupied and reported that 28 settlers had been hurt by 100 rockets; she also described Metula as inside occupied territory. The article says both cities are within Israel’s pre-1967 borders. It also cites a 2016 France 24 report that did not mention a Palestinian prisoner’s role in the 2001 killing of an Israeli minister, an internal BBC memo noting 19 Hamas hostage stories absent from BBC Arabic, and 34 corrections by the Arabic service in the first five months of the Gaza war. The BBC called Nassar the outstanding candidate but did not address whether her posts were reviewed.
In short
- Mayssaloun Nassar’s past posts have renewed questions about BBC Arabic’s impartiality.
- BBC Arabic issued 34 corrections in the first five months of the Gaza war.
- The BBC praised Nassar’s appointment but did not address the posts.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The posts raise a legitimate question about whether Nassar can lead a service expected to report impartially: describing Israeli cities within the pre-1967 borders as occupied and injured Israelis as settlers could suggest she applied politically charged language to events affecting civilians. Given the article’s cited concerns about BBC Arabic’s past coverage, the BBC should be able to explain how it assessed the posts and how it will uphold editorial standards.
The case against
Old social media posts, without fuller context about their wording or intent, do not by themselves establish how Nassar would lead a newsroom or whether she can meet the BBC’s standards. Her appointment may reflect an assessment of her overall experience and merit, and scrutiny is fair, but it should distinguish criticism of particular language from evidence of broader editorial bias.
Explained simply
BBC News Arabic is the BBC’s Arabic-language news service, covering events for audiences across the Middle East and beyond. Its reporting on Israel and Gaza has drawn criticism before, including over how stories are selected and described.
Israel’s borders and the status of territory captured in the 1967 war are disputed in public debate, but Beersheba and Metula are within Israel’s pre-1967 borders. “Occupied” usually refers to territory under military control beyond a state’s recognised borders; “settler” commonly describes someone living in a settlement built in such territory.
The BBC is a publicly funded broadcaster with rules requiring its journalism to be impartial. Editors and senior appointments can therefore attract scrutiny over how past reporting and public statements relate to those standards.
Europe Middle East Space Technology World